The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-08

HE PROBABLY THINKS 1T WILL
WIN A SOUTHERN STATE.

Repeal of the Tax on Tobacco Favored
in Opposition to the Reform in the
Import Duties Advocated in the
Presidents Message-He Calls the
Leaf Necessity.
New YORK, Dec. THE Tribune'S Paris
correspondent cables to that paper report
giving the views of Hon James G. Blaine
on the Presidents message Mr.. Blaine
said to the Tribune's representative: 81
have been reading an abstract of the Presi-
dents message and have been especially in
terested in the comments of the London pa
pet's. These papers all assume to declare
that the message is a fres trade manifesto,
and evidently are anticipating an enlarged
market for English fabrics In the United
States as a consequence of the Presidents
recommendations. Perhaps that fact
stamped the character of the message more
clearly than any words of mine can"
You don't mean actual free trade with
out duty2" queried the reporter.
mo" replied Mr.. Blaine, ''nor do the
London papers mean that. They simply
mean that the President has recommended
what in the United States is known as
revenue tariff, rejecting the protective
feature as an object, and not even per-
mitting protection to result freely as an in
cldent to revenue duty"
FAvoRs REPEAL OF THE TOBACCO TAX.
Il don't know that l quite comprehend
that last point said the reporter
Il mean," said Mr.. Blaine, that for the
first time in the history of the United States
President recommends retaining the in
ternal tax in order that the tariff may be
fOrCe1 down auarn balOvV fair 1avapYia
standard. He recommends that the tax on
tobacco be retained, and thus that many
millions annually shall be levied on do
mestic product which would far better come
from tariff ON foreign fabrics"
Mr.. Blaine favors repeal of the tabacco
tax. He said: II should urge that it
be done at once even before the Christmas
holidays. 1t would in the first place bring
great relief to the growers of tobacco all
over the country and would, moreover,
materially lessen the price of the article to
consumers. Tobacco to millions of men is
a necessity. The President calls it a luxury,
but it is a luxury in no other sense than
tea and coffee are luxuries The only
excuse for such tax is the actual necessity
under which the government found itself
during the war and the years Immediately
following. To retain the tax now in order
to destroy the protection which would Incl
dentally flow from raising the same amount
OF money on foreign imports, is certainly a
most extraordinary policy for our govern
ment."
DON'T APPLY TO WHISKY.
"Well, then, Mr.. Blaine, would you ad-
wise the repeal of the whisky tax also?n
mo, would not. Other considerations
than those of financial administration are
to be taken into account with regard to
whisky. There is the moral side to it, To
cheaper the price of whisky is to increase
the consumption enormously. There
would be no sense in urging the
reform wrought by high license in
many States if the national government
neutraized the good effect by making
whisky within the reach of every one at
20c. gallon. Whisky would be everywhere
distilled if the surveillance of the govern
ment were withdrawn by remission of the
tax, and illicit sales could not then be pre-
vented by policy as rigorous and search
ing as that with which Russia pursues the
Nihilists. 1t would destroy license at once
in all the States Whisky has done q vast
deal of harm in the United States.
TO FoRTIFY COAST CITIES.
81 would try to make it do good. would
use the tax to fortify our cities and sea-
boards. In view of the powerful letter ad-
dressed to the Democratic party on the
subject of fortifcation by the late Samuel
J. Tllder, in 1885, | am amazed that no at
tention has been paid to the subject by the
Democratic administration. Never before
in the history of the world has any govern
ment allowed great cities on the seaboard,
like Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Balti-
more, New Orleans and San Francisco, to
remain defenseleSs."